Sweeping the yard: Integrating practice with everyday life
A three-week live, online Deep Dive with Henry Shukman
Dates: April 19, April 26, May 3
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Mountain Time US
Online
“I do it for the shy one
who lives inside me,
who loves the world
better than I ever will”
Sweeping the Yard
When I sweep the yard in the morning
I don’t do it for myself,
because I like it tidy,
I don’t do it for the yard’s sake,
because it enjoys being clean.
I do it for the shy one
who lives inside me,
who loves this world
better than I ever will,
whose innocence is beyond
understanding,
who has nothing to prove,
whose sweetness
shines on the earth
so the earth loves itself again,
and who I only ever know
in glimpses that leave me
breathless with longing,
with hope that goodness
is still possible, is still somehow
present in the world,
and which knock away
all my ideas of who
or what I should be.
So we pick up the broom again,
he and I, and send the old leaves
skittering across the patio,
and the dust smoking over the tiles
like ink from a brush,
and make the little heaps
we’ll gather in later.
This is how he wakes up,
this is how his wakefulness
turns our little yard
into the bright place
I call home.
A live Deep Dive with Henry
A Deep Dive is an immersive, multi-week experience of live practice and teaching with Henry, built around a specific text or poem. For Sweeping the Yard, we’ll explore a poem Henry wrote about finding the sacred in the mundane, how a simple morning chore becomes a doorway to waking up to our true nature and the world around us.
Over three weeks, you’ll gather with Henry and a community of practitioners for extended guided meditations, dharma talks, and Q&A. This poem becomes a lens through which to explore your practice, giving you something concrete to return to again and again. It’s your opportunity to move from solo practice to shared practice, and to experience Henry’s guidance in real time.
A note from Henry
A common question I hear from students is: “How can I integrate practice in my life?” People often tell me that they have a wonderful sit—but then a few hours later, besieged by the demands of life, any sense of mindfulness has gone out the window.
What can we do to remain mindful, in the midst of everyday life? How can we find practice in our mundane chores? It is possible—and in this Deep Dive I’ll invite you to see how we can come to ordinary life and find it extraordinary.
What to expect
Over three weeks, you’ll join Henry for three live two-hour Sunday sessions featuring:
- Extended guided meditations (25-30 minutes) that let you fully settle into present moment experience
- In-depth dharma talks bringing together ancient traditions, modern wisdom, and poetry in Henry’s unique style
- Q&A periods where your practice questions get answered directly
You’ll stay connected throughout the Deep Dive via a dedicated WhatsApp group, creating a sense of community throughout your shared journey.
Practice in everyday life
They say practice isn’t alive until it’s lived. And the place we live in is ordinary, everyday life. A deep practice does not mean we need to be a recluse on a mountaintop. Far from it. Practice can be there to nourish us, to guide us, to support us throughout our work, our social life, our family life.
This Deep Dive brings mindfulness off the cushion and into the flow of everyday life, helping you bridge the gap between formal meditation and the challenges of daily responsibilities. Ordinary moments, whether chores, work, or family interactions, can become opportunities for practice and presence. Rather than seeking refuge from the world, we can discover the extraordinary within the ordinary, making mindfulness a living, supportive part of daily life. Even, and especially, when all we’re doing is sweeping the yard.
What you’ll learn from Henry
- Practical tools for remaining mindful throughout stressful and difficult situations
- Finding practice in mundane chores and daily responsibilities
- Bridging the gap between formal meditation and everyday challenges
- Discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary
- Making mindfulness a living, supportive part of daily life
- How to carry the qualities of meditation into your work, relationships, and daily routines
Join Sweeping the Yard
$124 for The Way subscribers
$155
- 3 live two-hour Sunday sessions with Henry
- All session recordings
- WhatsApp community for the Deep Dive
- Access to practice resources and prompts
- Registration is not open for this Deep Dive just yet.
Or join the 2026 Program
Sweeping the Yard is the second of four Deep Dives that Henry will lead in 2026. If you’re ready to commit to a full year of live practice with Henry and a dedicated community, the 2026 Live Online Program includes all four Deep Dives plus exclusive benefits, at significant savings.
Full program early bird: $345 (normally $495)
Save $275 compared to buying all four Deep Dives individually
The 2026 Live Online Program includes: Caravan • Sweeping the Yard • Mountains & Rivers Remain • Rice in the Bowl
Feedback from the 2025 Program
About your teacher
Henry Shukman
Henry is an authorized Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen lineage, the co-founder of The Way meditation app, and the Spiritual Director Emeritus of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In addition to teaching meditation, Henry is an award-winning author and poet. His struggles and traumatic experiences as a youth, combined with a spontaneous awakening experience at 19, paved the way for Henry to develop a well-rounded approach to healing and awakening through meditation.
Event Details
Cost: $155
Dates: Join us over 3 Sundays on:
April 19, April 26, May 3
Time: 10am–12pm MST
Where: Online
Recordings
Each session will be recorded. If you can’t attend live, or simply want to reference it again, we’ll share the recording the day after the session.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this program, please contact our team at [email protected]. We’re happy to assist and look forward to having you join us!
Registration
Registrations have not opened for this Deep Dive just yet. This Deep Dive is part of our 2026 Live Online Program, why not dedicate yourself to an entire year of live teachings?
